Nachusa Grasslands Virtual Science Symposium 2021
Saturday, April 24
The sixth annual Nachusa Science Symposium co-hosted by The Nature Conservancy and Friends of Nachusa Grasslands will take place on Saturday, April 24, 2021, via Zoom.
|
Event Overview:
The virtual event will feature three thematic sessions, each with a series of pre-recorded talks and posters, a live panel discussion with questions from the virtual audience, and an interactive virtual networking session. Pre-recorded talks and posters will be made available in advance of the symposium, allowing attendees to view them at their own convenience before (and after) the symposium day. |
On the day of the symposium, there will be an option to watch the session talks prior to the live panel discussion and networking event. We hope this allows people maximum flexibility for interacting with the content and allows balance between live interactive sessions, Zoom-breaks, and other life demands. Everyone is encouraged to attend all three live sessions, but we recognize everyone is managing a lot right now and have structured the day to allow each attendee to pick and choose which sessions to attend. |
|
Thank you all for being part of what makes the Nachusa Grassland Science Symposium a special event. We recognize that a virtual meeting presents challenges, and we appreciate your patience and enthusiasm as we host an event that will differ from our past symposiums. The virtual format also provides opportunities: we can accommodate more people virtually, folks can join without traveling, and pre-recorded content can be consumed on your own schedule.
Registrations are now closed. If you have already signed up, a Zoom invitation will be sent to you before the event. |
Download the app (or update it) before the meeting: https://zoom.us/download.
|
Nachusa Virtual Science Symposium Schedule:
Session 1: Restoring rare and declining populations
9-9:45: Watch Session 1 talks (Pre-recorded)
9:45-10:30: LIVE Session 1 panel discussion followed by networking time (soft ending on time)
10:45-11:30: Watch Session 2 talks (pre-recorded)
11:30-12:15: LIVE Session 2 panel discussion followed by networking time (soft ending on time)
Session 3: It’s the little things: Small organisms making big differences
12:15-1:15: Lunch (on your own)
12:30-1:15: Watch Session 3 talks (pre-recorded), while eating lunch?
1:15-2:00: LIVE Session 3 panel discussion followed by networking time (soft ending)
Session 1: Restoring rare and declining populations
9-9:45: Watch Session 1 talks (Pre-recorded)
9:45-10:30: LIVE Session 1 panel discussion followed by networking time (soft ending on time)
- Moderator: Dr. Matt Allender (University of Illinois – Urbana Champaign)
- Talk: Blanding’s Turtle Recovery Strategies, Progress, and Goals – Dr. Rich King (Northern Illinois University)
- Talk: An Update on Ornate Box Turtle (Terrapene ornata) Research at Nachusa Grasslands – Devin Edmonds (University of Illinois – Urbana Champaign)
- Talk: Above and belowground drivers of stability for bastard toadflax (Comandra umbellata) populations in remnant and restored prairies – Emma Leavens (Chicago Botanic Gardens/Northwestern University and Morton Arboretum)
- Poster: Grassland bird responses to bison disturbances at Nachusa Grasslands and Kankakee Sands – Tony Del Valle (Northern Illinois University), Dr. Holly Jones
- Poster: Mycorrhizal Fungal Associates of the Eastern Prairie Fringed orchid (Platanthera leucophaea) – Dr. Betsy Esselman (Southern Illinois University–Edwardsville), Connor Melton, MaKenzy Sorsen, Hannah Bradley, Carolyn Butts-Wilmsmeyer
10:45-11:30: Watch Session 2 talks (pre-recorded)
11:30-12:15: LIVE Session 2 panel discussion followed by networking time (soft ending on time)
- Moderator: Dr. Nick Barber (San Diego State University)
- Talk: Looking beyond the Field of Dreams: Restoring plant and animal biodiversity in tallgrass Prairies – Dr. Pete Guiden (Northern Illinois University)
- Talk: Wild bee communities at the Nachusa Grasslands are structured by landscape and management rather than local flower communities – Dr. Sean Griffin (University of Texas-Austin), Bethanne Bruninga-Socolar, Jason Gibbs
- Talk: Five Years of Bison at Nachusa Grasslands: Impacts on vegetation composition and structure – Jenn Simons (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
- Poster: Twenty years of conservation and restoration of tallgrass prairie plant community diversity and identity at Nachusa Grasslands – Dr. Elizabeth Bach (The Nature Conservancy), Bill Kleiman
- Poster: Microbial Nutrient Cycling and Soil Geochemistry as Indicators of Prairie Restoration Success – Desirae Klimek (Northern Illinois University), Wes Swingley
- Poster: The View from Above: Spatial Trends in Prescribed Fire and Edge Proximity at Nachusa Grasslands - Erin Rowland, (Northern Illinois University)
Session 3: It’s the little things: Small organisms making big differences
12:15-1:15: Lunch (on your own)
12:30-1:15: Watch Session 3 talks (pre-recorded), while eating lunch?
1:15-2:00: LIVE Session 3 panel discussion followed by networking time (soft ending)
- Moderator: Dr. Bethanne Bruninga-Socolar (University of Minnesota)
- Talk: Evaluating the Multi-Level Community Effects of Root Hemiparasites in Northern Illinois – Anna Scheidel (Illinois State University)
- Talk: Little Mosquitoes, Big Egos: The Role of Key Abiotic Factors on Mosquito Abundance in North- and West-Central IL – Dr. Michele Rehbein (Western Illinois University)
- Talk: Intestinal microbial community characterization of Bison in Nachusa – Dr. Pallavi Singh (Northern Illinois University), Laurie Spencer, Tina Sison, Chloè Harvey, Elizabeth Bach [Due to unforeseen circumstances, Dr. Singh will not be sharing a presentation; please see the abstract in the program and the poster by Laurie Spencer to learn more about her work.]
- Poster: Survey of Enteric Parasites in Wild Bison at Nachusa Grasslands – Laurie Spencer (Northern Illinois University), Elizabeth Bach, Pallavi Singh
- Poster: Herbicidal removal of Amur Honeysuckle only minimally affects soil borne microorganisms with no apparent functional deficits – Jonathan James (Memphis University), Elizabeth Bach, Kaleb Baker, Nicholas Barber, Maryam Shahrtash, Dr. Shawn Brown
- Poster: Where have all the ticks gone? A survey of tick diversity and abundance at Nachusa Grasslands – Dr. Jennifer Koop (Northern Illinois University), Rajeev Vaidyanathan, Ted Burgess
- Poster: Disturbance-induced trophic niche shift in ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in restored tallgrass prairies – Azeem Rahman (San Diego State University)
If you are interested in the scientific research that is being done at Nachusa and would like to give a gift to support the program, please consider making a designated donation today.
You can also mail a check with “Science Grants” written on the memo line to: Friends of Nachusa Grasslands, 8772 S. Lowden Road, Franklin Grove, IL 61031.
You can also mail a check with “Science Grants” written on the memo line to: Friends of Nachusa Grasslands, 8772 S. Lowden Road, Franklin Grove, IL 61031.
Updated 04/2021